Crime & Safety
Seal Beach Man Charged in $200,000 Storage Space Theft
John Michael McGowen, 45, pleaded not guilty to four counts of second-degree burglary and one count of receiving stolen property, according to court records.
A Seal Beach man was implicated in string of storage space burglaries costing victims about $200,000, officials said.
Huntington Beach police Monday posted photos of stolen property on the department's Facebook page to help victims recover the loot from the crimes last month.
Police received several reports last month from people saying that their storage units had been burglarized at ExtraSpace Storage, 7531 McFadden Ave., so they set up surveillance of the business and caught three suspects driving away with a 25-foot cargo box truck full of stolen loot, according to Huntington Beach police Sgt. Jerry Abrahams.
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A search warrant served in Westminster led to the recovery of more stolen property from the storage space burglaries, he said, adding that the thieves mostly stole jewelry.
Police posted photos of 115 stolen items. It's unknown how long the thefts were taking place, Abrahams said.
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"It's one of those things that probably went unnoticed for some time," he said.
Investigators warned residents who use storage facilities to avoid using them for valuables.
"Any real valuables like jewelry, heirlooms, guns and things of that nature should be put in a safety deposit box," Abrahams said.
Last month officers arrested Lisa Jo Sanford, 42, of Huntington Beach, James Hayes, 47, of Westminster, and John Michael McGowen, 45, of Seal Beach, Abrahams said.
Sanford is charged with four counts of second-degree burglary and three counts of receiving stolen property. Hayes faces the same felony charges, along with sentence-enhancing allegations of committing a secondary offense while out on bail.
McGowen is charged with four counts of second-degree burglary and one count of receiving stolen property, as well as a misdemeanor count of possession of drug paraphernalia.
--City News Service
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